The Seeing Eye Dogs Show: Foster caring explained

27 September 2018

Presented by Kennel Attendant and actor Cam Faull, the Seeing Eye Dogs Show, broadcast on Vision Australia Radio, is your guide to the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes at Seeing Eye Dogs.

Broadcast fortnightly, the show will also bring you all of the latest in dog health, puppy and foster caring, interviews with experts and more.

On the latest edition, Cam is again joined by Glen Yates, a Seeing Eye Dog Foster Carer for caring for Seeing Eye Dogs.

SED’s Foster Carers are a vital part of pour caring program, providing a caring home for a dogs for a range of different reasons and timeframes. Foster carer open up their homes to SED puppies, SEDs in-training, SED breeding dogs and fully qualified SEDs when their regular carer or handler is unavailable.

For the Yates family, becoming SED Foster Carers was the perfect way to help out the blind and low vision community while also allowing them to have a dog in the house again.

“After having a lab ourselves for 13 years, rather than getting another forever dog we reached out Seeing Eye Dogs and it just started from there,” Glen said.

“I think we’re up to number 19 and that can vary from [caring for them for a] week to a weekend through to the magical, beautiful Johnny that we had for almost three months,” he said.

While some may think it would be challenging to welcome different dog into their home, Glen said his family have had no trouble with that.

“It’s a relationship between you and the dog, irrespective of what part of the program they are. It’s about being able to adapt to them quickly and they need to adapt to you quickly,” he said.

"They integrate so well. We’ve had many, many dogs in the past and we’ve got a kitten, a cat and two young children and they integrate in to the family in just a few days. In fact what you find very quickly is that they’ll be coy to start off and then after a few days they’ll be more confident."

You can find out more about foster caring or apply today here.

You can listen to or download the latest edition of the Seeing Eye Dogs Show here, or on the player below: